Bottle cap



BOTTLE CAP 4 Filed Jan. 19, 1959 Z 3%: 1 ff i I k 1 I "q l INVENTOR. i J 2/ 5/15 2 4, Army/w United rates Patent Q BOTTLE CAP Richard L. Mathies, RA. 36253790, Ward 44, Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington 12, D.C.

Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,401

3 Claims. (Cl. 215-41) This invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to removable caps for bottles.

Ordinarily, bottle caps must be discarded after they are forcibly removed from narrow neck bottles. This is not only expensive, but often is inconvenient since such conventional types of bottle caps are difficult to remove. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a replaceable bottle cap for bottles that is basically simple in construction, easy to remove and replace, and which will overcome the aforementioned difiiculties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a replaceable bottle cap that may be readily removed from sealing engagement with a bottle by simple finger pressure exerted thereon so as to avoid the necessity for special tools or implements in order to open such bottles.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a replaceable bottle cap of the type described that can be conveniently used to close the bottle after it has been opened and only part of the contents have been removed.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a bottle cap made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded side elevational view showing a bottle cap made in accordance with the present invention in released relationship with a bottle; and

Figure 3 is a transverse cross sectional View taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2 with the cap in sealing engagement with the bottle.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, a replaceable bottle cap made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a closure member 18 having a gasket or other type of resilient seal 22 removably secured within the interior thereof. A releasable lock device including a pair of spaced apart parallel legs 22 connected at one end by means of an arcuate bight portion 14, is secured to the free edge of the annular flange of the closure member 18, such as by welds 20 substantially midway between the opposite ends thereof. The free ends of the legs 12 are turned back upon themselves to provide reinforced handle portions 16 that facilitate the manual flexing of the lock element, as is shown in broken lines in Figure 1.

In actual use, this bottle cap assembly 10 may be removably applied to the neck 24 of any type of bottle having an annular bead 26. As the seal or gasket 22 is brought into sealing engagement with the open end of the neck 24, the flexible legs 12 spread outwardly enough to receive the bead 26 of the bottle, as is shown in Figure 3, following which they return to their normal position to secure the cap 18 and seal 22 in pressure tight engagement with the open end of the bottle neck. As a result, all that is necessary to remove the bottle cap from the bottle is to exert an inward squeezing action upon the handle portions 16 at the free ends of the legs 12, so that such legs flex to an outwardly disposed position 12a, as shown in Figure 1, thus enabling the cap to be removed from the neck of the bottle. If it is desired to replace the cap after only part of the contents have been removed from the bottle, such is readily done simply by reversing the aforementioned procedure. If necessary, the gasket 22 may be replaced for a subsequent bottling action, thus enabling each bottle cap to be re-used several times.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A replaceable bottle cap comprising, in combination, a closure member for pressure tight engagement with the neck outlet of the bottle, and releasable lock means carried by said closure member for releasable locking engagement with the neck of the bottle for retaining said closure member in said pressure tight engagement with the bottole outlet, said closure member comprising a substantially cylindrical cap having a flat wall closing one end thereof and defining an opening at the opposite end, a gasket secured within said closed end of said cap for pressure tight engagement with the neck outlet of the bottle, said releasable lock means comprising a pair of normally parallel resilient wire legs connected together at one end only by a central bight portion and being free at the opposite end, and spot welds integrally connecting the mid portions of said wire legs to circumferentially spaced apart portions of said cylindrical cap member.

2. A replaceable bottle cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portions of said resilient wire legs intermediate said bight portion and said welds extend freely across said open end of said cap in cordal contact relationship therewith are flexible outwardly in response to inward squeezing action upon the free ends of said Wire legs.

3. A replaceable bottle cap as set forth in claim 2,v wherein the opposite free ends of said wire legs are turned back upon themselves to define handle portions for manual actuation to flex said portions of said Wire legs intermediate said bight portions of said welds about said Weld connection of each said leg to said closure member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,300,736 Kippenberg Apr. 15, 1919 1,376,477 Stock May 3, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS 585,065 France Dec. 2, 1924 

